Traditions (Translation)
by Sombraline
Summary: "Dear friends; You are graciously invited to the wedding of Anthony Stark, warrior of Midgard, forger and scientist, to Loki, God of Mischief, Fire, Lies, etc. The ceremony will be a mix of Asgardian and Midgardian traditions. Please take note that your weapons will be removed at the door."
1. Chapter 1

(Translation of the homonymic fic I started a few days ago in French)

So, yup. This story will probably be short, fluffy, cute (if I can make it so) and will just show Loki and Tony as they decide to make their relation legitimate for both Realms. I plan it to have between 3 and 5 chapters that will be rather short. It's just to start the summer with something light to make me write.

I'm not a native english speaker, by the way. I do my best, but feel free to point out (kindly. Please? I am an author, I have a tiny little heart) any mistakes I did!

* * *

« This plottwist doesn't make any sense. »

The words sounded as annoyed as they were vaguely amused, naturally piercing through the silence of the living room, that had only been disturbed by the muffled sound of the TV until now.

« What is it this time? » Tony asked, looking up from the hologram he had been working on for a few minutes, curious to see what was bothering the god, this time.

« The way the parents of this prince are reacting », Loki precised with a gesture to the TV screen, on which played a romantic comedy JARVIS had suggested earlier.

A few months earlier, Tony would probably have taken advantage of the situation to mock Loki as much as he could. To his own defense, there was something deeply amusing in the sight of the god of destruction, sitting down cross-legged in his couch, watching cheesy movies with all the analytic serious in the world, commenting and meditating every soapy remarks of the characters.

The human, though, knew better than to dare say anything about it.

The last time he had, snickering in amusement while Loki protested about 'whoever was stupid enough to seriously imagine sparkly and vegetarian vampires', he had ended up with very obvious bite marks in his neck. They had lasted for nearly three weeks, in which he had never managed to hide them from the press or from Fury. Which, really, had been more distracting than anything else. But still.

« Their son just broke a visibly very important political alliance between their Realm and the land of Spain », the god continued, frowning. « All that, just to go back with the servant he fell for. Such a promise betrayed would never be welcomed with a laugh by any king with a bit of sense in his mind.»

« It's a fairy tale, Loki », the human mumbled, trying to hide his amusement. « I really doubt that the real Francis the First accepted to marry his son to a servant, no matter how cute she was. Though, who knows, with these French guys », he added for himself. « I'm kind of sure that one of them died by hitting his head against a doorframe, so, yeah, I guess that abandoning a Spanish princess to wed a girl who'll welcome him by throwing apples to his face...»

« There's nothing wrong with imaginating realistic and romantic stories », the god mumbled without listening to him. « I really don't see what the problem of these human writers is.

« Oh, yeah. Coming from a space viking who gave up on his titles to court a mortal engineer, I must admit that I can only agree with you », Tony confirmed with irony. « Do you have arranged marriages in Asgard, by the way? »

« There were some in the past », Loki answered after a small pause.

The tone was calmer than before, suddenly less grumpy, and Tony raised an eyebrow, giving up on his Starkpad for now to study the pale, expressionless face.

« ...Am I still unaware of the existence of a bothering ex-wife? » He asked tentatively.

« Two. Minor unions, for which Thor's status of heir to the throne were too importante. But they were fortunately short. »

« Did you love them? » The mortal asked, turning back to look at the screen, even if his attention was entirely focussed on the god to his side, who shrugged for all answer.

« Sigyn was a noble from Vanheim, a great witch, I must admit. A friend, if not a lover I specially loved. Angrbrodr was a dark elf, whose presence was never so pleasant to my eyes. There is little to say about them. I didn't try to know them so much. »

Tony nodded slowly, not asking for more details. Silvertongue or not, the tone used by the god hid nothing of the tired bitterness of its owner to the memory, and that was all he needed to know.

Through the months they had spent together, since Loki had finished his punishment on Earth by repairing every single crack in the sidewalks, and every broken windows of Manhattan (the construction industrie had held a protest for two weeks after they had lost their most profiteering contract in the last twenty years, but the USA government had refused to argue further with Asgard, especially after Loki had offered -reluctantly- to use his powers to slow down the global warming by freezing back miles of melted pack ice), Tony had had more than the time he needed to start understanding what the silences in the other's words meant.

If the god spoke more and more freely around him, his most unstable and uncomfortable emotions were almost always hidden behind a calm tone and a lack of expression that told a lot. Loki was betraying himself by hiding only the most important, while the rest was starting to be said carelessly.

It was the same bored tone that had announced to Tony that the god had given up on his royal titles and considered to live on Earth, and the same indifferent expression that had explained that, maybe, eventually, he wasn't mad that the mortal had « accidentally » kissed him.

So, Tony understood, the wives (or was it a wife and a husband?) were a delicate subject. Either Loki realised how much he let his lover know, or not, he didn't insist further, his eyes on the screen while the film ended and he sneered once more, mockingly, about humanity's poor writers, all while he smiled discreetly when the servant appeared, wearing a crown, and the movie was over with a happy ending.

Tony didn't insist either, just rolling his eyes at Loki's comments, but an idea had appeared in the back of his mind, and refused to move from there. The kind of idea that would make JARVIS sigh when he would hear it, like only the AI could to do it, by a metallic sound of annoyance.

* * *

The kind of idea that made JARVIS, half an hour later, when the engineer locked himself up in his lab and ordered him to find the most powerful laser he could, the rest of the metal he had created for his last heart, and pure gold. Lots of pure gold.

« Loki? If you're done polishing your nails, can I talk to you for a second? »

No, he wasn't even mocking his lover.

Loki had actually gotten used to paint his fingernails once a week, very cautiously, always in black, sitting in front of the huge window of the Tower. He had started as soon as he had known how Pepper changed the color of her nails repeatedly, without magic. Tony had tried his best to explain that the habit was mostly feminine, before they went to the SHIELD on that week, Loki had refused to hear anything. Tony knew when a fight was lost before it began and he had given up. And since Loki did whatever he wanted, he had given up.

« What is it? » The god asked without looking up from his left hand, that he was finishing to dry with a range and with a lot of concentration.

« Dinner is ready, and I'd like to talk to you », the human explained with a vague gesture of his hand, more nervous than he'd admit.

« Did I commit some mistakes again? » Loki's voice was openly annoyed when he continued : « If it's about what I did to the little bird's breakfast yesterday, I would like to insist that he asked for it. »

« No, no, no mistake. I think. Just -take your time, but I'm waiting, okay? »

« Just a minute », Loki promised while testing the polish on his nails, curious to hear what his mortal wanted.

* * *

« You... You probably noticed that I spent a lot of time in my lab in the last few days. I mean -no, you did notice, since you refused to talk to me when I joined you to bed this morning. And when I kissed Mark XXIII instead of you in the living yesterday. But- Well, no, I mean, I know you're angry about it- »

« Tony. Stick to the facts », the god sighed, rubbing his forehead in an exasperated gesture, visibly more concerned with his not-entirely dry fingernails than with the human who sat cross-legged before him and stammered uncomfortably. « I do not plan to apologise. »

« No, I mean- I didn't plan to ask you to. I -I just, I guess that I should apologise, but the moment isn't good to crawl, and -actually, I should maybe just wait for you not to be mad at me, but then you'd know that I waited and you'd probably call me a hypocrit- »

« Tony », Loki insisted, raising an eyebrow.

- « Yeah, yeah -so, er, so, what I want to say -I -that, that's what I made in the last few days, and I know that it took a while, but I thought that you would like that more than something classic, and, -er, yeah, that's it, mostly », the human concluded, awkwardly opening the small cheese box in which he had installed his creation, looking at the god with something that looed like hope in his eyes.

Loki leaned in a little to see what the box contained, slightly perplexed to find a long ring, almost a claw, in it. The quality was undeniable, and he took the jewel cautiously between his fingers, noticing it had the exact lenght of his index. It was made of three distinct parts, tied together by a delicate black leather thread. A few pictures had been carved in the metal, in a remarkable imitation of the style that covered his armor; but instead of representing his children, these looked like a technological suit, drawn in an Asgardian style.

It was... Well, it was extremely pretentious from the mortal.

The drawings were a gift from the person wearing it to the one who was reprsented. Not the contrary.

But now that he thought about it, had he ever said so to the human? He had allowed him to trace the drawings on his armor from the tips of his fingers, but had he ever bothered to tell him what they represented?

Tony kept watching him with shiny, hopefilled eyes. The god held back a sigh and smiled tenderly instead, placing the ring on his index and leaning in to kiss the human on the cheek as a thanks.

It was only when he noticed the human's miserable pout that he realised it probably hadn't been the good reaction.

« ...What is it? Am I forgetting a mortal tradition again? » He asked, frowning a little.

« Y-you don't do that, in Asgard?

« Do what? » Loki insisted, perplexed. »

« T...the proposal? With a ring? No? »

Loki's eyes widened in disbelief, and the mortal's face crumbled miserably. The silence went on for a few long, long seconds, before Tony looked down pathetically to rub the back of his neck, searching for an excuse to evade the situation; Loki knelt at the same moment, pulling the human in a tight embrace and to kiss him deeply.

« When will we have the ceremony, my adorable and stupid human? » He whispered in a smile against Tony's skin.

* * *

For those curious, the movie Loki was criticizing was 'Ever After', which is a fairy tale that I love, a lot. Also, in the comics, he paint his nails black. Well, we never see him painting them, I think, but he has to at some point, I guess. Oh, and his children really are all over his armor! Anyway, Fenrir the Wolf and Jörmungandr the snake are. That's good parenting. Can I have reviews?


	2. Chapter 2

**In which JARVIS is starting to have grey cables and his creator learns that, sometimes, he should think before he speaks.**

Three hours. It had taken three hours, once the euphoria and the stammering were over, once Tony had accepted to follow Asgard's traditions to avoid being denied by his parents-in-law, and once Loki accepted to wear the ring to the right finger, before they managed to take a decision that pleased the both of them about the wedding ceremony.

Had Tony not been in love with his Loki like he was, Tony could have asked himself if he hadn't taken a bad decision when he had (re)placed the ring to the (right) finger (of the right hand) of the prince. But, really, he was deeply in love with him. So he resignated himself despite the long, long argumentation.

They had started by asking each other when and where; but soon enough, they had moved to a much more contrariating topic. Tony had said with a snickering that he wanted Coulson to take care of the ceremony, and that he looked forward to see the look on the faces of his colleagues at the ceremony. Loki had raised an eyebrow, shaking his head and claiming that Frigga had to be the one responsible of marrying them. She was the Allmother, afterall, and the goddess of marriage too. It was only normal that she took care of the protocol.

After that, a long fight of glances and more or less logical arguments (« I can't just sacrifice a baby goat in public to please Asgard! PETA will kill me, Loki! » or « Your weddings are only lasting 'until Death do us appart'! Hel will be unbearable if she hears it! »), until they both accepted to mix the traditions of their Realms so that they could be satisfied with it. And, more important, so they could make everyone go insane.

(Tony was specially looking forward to see Steve's expression when they'd announce that they planned to have children. Loki, on the other hand, had to admit that he couldn't wait to see Odin's reaction when he'd ask him to walk down the alley with him.)

But the composition of the invitation itself had already been a much more complicated argument for the engineer.

Yes, they had to use the words « dear friends », even if they sent the invitation to Asgard and to the Avengers. Yes, they had to sign together, even if it sounded completely ridiculous. Yes, the aliens they were inviting on « Midgard » had to learn the basic rules before they could create a catastrophy with Russia or something. No, they couldn't list all of Loki's titles on just one invitation.

Loki himself hadn't been so open to concessions, he couldn't deny it.

No, Laufeyson and Odinson weren't words he would accept to hear or to read in this Tower for the centuries to come. Yes, it was necessary to insist that weapons would be forbidden on the day of the wedding -he refused to trust SHIELD (Tony had snapped back that 'Mephisto', whoever he was, didn't had a name to arrive with a basket of cookies and his best wishes of happiness to the couple, but Loki had pretended he didn't hear anything). And yes, he had to explain to his guests what the hell was an engineer or a scientist.

Finally, after the three long hours of argumentation that even JARVIS hadn't bothered to keep following to try calming the two lovebirds -who loved each other, surely, deep inside, somewhere, the AI decided for them, despite the threats of divorce that had already been shouted three times in the first half of hour-, they had prepared an acceptable pile of invitations, all translated in English, in Asgardian Runes, and in symbols that Tony hadn't tried to understand, but that Loki had insisted to trace with red ink. The texte was brief, sort of polite, and very direct.

_« Dear Friends, _

_You are graciously invited to the wedding of Anthony Stark, warrior of Midgard, engineer/forger and scientist/alchemist, to Loki, from Asgard, sorcerer, God of Fire, Chaos, Lies, etc. The ceremony will take place on the 24th of July, at Stark Tower. It'll follow traditions of both Realms. Please take note that your weapons will be taken at the door. Confirm your presence as soon as possible by private messenger, e-mail, or raven._

_We hope to see you soon, _

_Loki & Tony_

_PS : The extra-terrestrial guests should take knowledges of Midgard's customs before the wedding. Please see the annexes for more information. »_

The two lovers exchanged a glance after Loki read the notice out loud, his voice calmer than before. Tony remained silent, as though he only just realised what was happening.

They had just written the invitations for their wedding.

Their wedding.

Loki had an engagement ring to his finger.

Had JARVIS been human that he would have heavily sighed when the god and the human kissed, with as much passion as they had on the first day, fighting to dominate the kiss while Loki teleported the both of them to their room. These two would make him completely insane before the time.

The awakening was as slow and peaceful as the night had been loud and agitated. But then again, it wasn't such a surprise, concerning the alien and the hero.

Loki opened his eyes first, at the first lights of the dawn, as usual. A sleepy smile appeared on his lips when he saw the claw on his finger and and felt Tony's form wrapped around him, and he sighed softly in pleasure, closing his eyelids again and snuggling against the warm form to his side.

Unlike for the food, Asgardians had very little need of sleep, by comparison with the humans. Three, or four hours per day were perfectly enough for them to full their batteries.

But Loki didn't had any objections, once in a while, to remain in bed with his human, for as long as he was asleep. First, because Tony had a very inferior level of sleep to most of his kind and didn't kept him waiting for hours, but, mostly, because there was something deeply cute in seeing him asleep. He was less arrogant, less proud, less defying... He was just warm, and cuddly, and smiling in his sleep in a way that Loki could have observed for hours. Of course, it wasn't impossible either that the sudden silence of the loud mortal had a connexion with the fact.

Loki looked at him with a tender smile for a while, detailing his features in the dimmed light of the morning, once more. It was only after a little while that he frowned softly, when he saw something that he didn't like, and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the purple marks in the neck of the human. He caressed his hips, gently, from the tip of his fingers to erase the bruises that had appeared on his skin, guilt making him grimace a little.

Someday, he would learn to remember that Tony lived in a mortal, frail body, too fragile for his own good, no matter what the human said about it when they got too enthusiastics in their embraces.

Until that day, he would gently and discreetly cure each little injury of his lover when Tony couldn't see him, knowing that he would refuse otherwise.

His smile turned a little sad, a little resignated.

They had talked about it already.

Tony refused to eat a Golden Apple. Loki had been sincere about the human race's future. There were only for a few centuries more, maybe a few milleniums. Tony refused to see his world and his friends dying around him.

The billionair ended up waking up under the delicate caresses of the god, groaning in satisfaction and stretching like a cat against his chest.

« Hey », he murmured, opening an eye. « Good morning. »

« Slept well? » The god asked, amused by the look of his lover.

« After last night, I could only sleep well », Tony mumbled with a wink. « I would have proposed to you earlier, if I had been aware of what enthusiasm it would give you. »

« You say that as though I was never affecionate before », Loki sneered, far from offended. « So, do you feel ready to become my husband? » He continued then, teasingly.

« As prepared as can be when you are concerned, my chaotic love », the human replied with a muffled yawn. « I hope that you appreciate my effort. »

« Oh, to its full value, fear not », the god assured, fascinated once more by the transformation of the Iron Warrior, the Chitauris' Nightmare, as Thor had presented him to the Asgardian court, to a five-week old kitten, demanding for hugs. « But you still have to prove that your effort will work », he added distractly.

« What do you mean, that it'll work? I deal with these blood-craving journalists since I'm seventeen. And Fury never had his word to say anyway. I mean, we still have to deal with Clint, but- »

« I'm talking of the wedding, Anthony. Not of those who will witness it », the god interrupted, raising an eyebrow. « You asked for my hand. I gave it to you. It doesn't make anything official. »

A silence went on for a few seconds, during which Tony blinked, unsure if his lover was mocking him. Loki, on the other hand, was frowning lightly before his lack of reaction.

« You... do realise that it won't go that fast. Right? » He insisted after a long pause. « You said that the traditions of Asgard would be respected. I took it that you knew what you were talking about. »

«...Well... Yes, but... When JARVIS made his researches, he didn't find anything speaking of traditions before the wedding for the vikings, and I told you that we could sacrifice a goat if you- »

« Vikings?... Tony -vikings were humans! I'm talking to you of the customs of Asgard! »

A new, long pause followed. Loki's expression got more and more disbelieving as he realised that Tony had no idea of what he was talking about. Tony, on his side, looked properly alarmed. He took a deep breath, running a hand over his face and swearing between his teeth.

« Okay. Too early in the morning to panick. » He finally mumbled, pushing himself outside of the bed. « I need a coffee. An Irish coffee. And then, you'll explain to me what I have to do beside preparing the Tower to receive a bunch of aliens. »

« So, you are basically telling me that, when I asked for your hand, I agreed to prove to everyone in Asgard that I deserved to own you? And you only tell me that now?! »

« Sir, can I recommand that you take deep inspirati- »

« Mute, JARVIS. For fuck's sake, mute. »

« I thought that you knew what you were doing! » Loki protested, his arms crossed on his chest, completely forgetting the hot chocolate that was slowly cooling down before him.

Tony had always found it funny that the god hated so much the bitterness of tea or coffee. Just like Thor, Loki had a deep, adoration filled relation with sugar under its every form, and he'd rather eat like a five year old child than like a god of four thousands.

Today, though, it wasn't funny. The engineer was just too shocked and freaked out by the revelations of his lover to find anything funny.

« But how was I supposed to know that?! » The human snapped back defensively. « It's completely ridiculous. I don't want you to be mine, it's -I mean, yes, it's the plan, but it sounds -I mean, we're talking about you here! You're not a furniture or -and how am I even supposed to prove that I'm worthy of owning you? It's ridiculous », he repeated, taking a deep gulp of his mug -which held more alcohol than coffee- to try digesting the news.

« But you asked for my hand! » Loki insisted, shaking his head. « The man asks for the woman's hand, then he proves that he can take care of her. It has always been like that! On the day of the wedding, if he makes it there, the woman uses her magic on him. Magic is a feminine job, I was sure that you realised- »

« Loki, please, don't start again talking to me about the macho culture of your world », Tony whimpered, closing his eyes and taking a long pause to rub his eyelids, as though it would make the situation easier. « Okay. Fine. Explain. What do I have to do? I'll start freaking out after that. »

« We can still give up, if you wish », Loki remarked, grimacing a little. « The invitations aren't even sent yet... Nothing is keeping us from- »

« Loki. Just tell me. »

«...The main idea », Loki started after a deep sigh, « is to prove that you are a warrior and a man worthy of the privilege of marriage. There are several tasks to go through, as a demonstration. The first one is to kill a monster and to bring a part of its body, usually its head, to the brother of your future bride. Or her father, if she only has sisters- »

« Can you please stop talking of yourself as a she? » The human pleaded, despaired.

« The second one », Loki continued as though he hadn't been interrupted, « is to give her a gift of great value, to demonstrate that you have what it takes for her to live comfortably. Then, you must show your respect for her by spending a whole night sleeping next to her, without touching her even once. »

« What?! But- »

« The fourth task », Loki continued, looking like someone who tried to get rid of an unpleasant job, « is to convince the parents of your future bride that you deserve to have her. Then, you must prepare your own vows and promises for the wedding, even if there are a few you can't get rid off. »

« ...And that's all? That's it? It ends there? That's how I get to marry you? » Tony's voice was one of deep despair, and he had taken his head in his hands halfway through the explanation.

Loki nodded, looking uncomfortable. Tony sighed deeply, repeating the list mentally a few times. Preparing a few promises, it was no big deal. A gift for Loki? That wouldn't be hard. Spending his night next to him without any contact? It would be harder, but he could do it. Killing a monster, though? What monster, anyway? He lived in the USA -it wasn't as though he could go up to Alaska to find a polar bear. And they were almost extinct, anyway. As for convincing his parents-in-law to allow him to marry Loki? Well, he was doomed.

« Tony... I repeat it, we can just give up on that », Loki insisted after a few minutes of silence, embarrassed by the situation. « I didn't meant to force you to anything... »

The human looked back up to stare at his god for a little while. He took his time, without any real shame, detailing the green eyes that he liked so much when they were sparkling with mischief, the think lips that he caressed so often with his, the hands with long and delicate fingers -that were now holding nervously at the side of the table. He took his time to look at his Loki, to each detail of his pretty face, his hesitant mimic, that tried not to look too guilty, and yet just appearing disappointed to the mortal. In the end, a smile, soft and vaguely resignated, found its place on his lips.

« Ah, come on, what would life be without a bit of action? Tell me how to send the invitation to your space friends. I have until July 24th to be ready to marry you. »

Three weeks for everything to be perfect for the first union between Asgard and Midgard in history, to ssatisfy his royal and immortal parents-in-law, to survive to the imminent attack of every reporters in America, to be ready to marry the Lord of Chaos himself?

Come on, he was Tony Stark. He wouldn't need more than a few days.

**Yeah. Right. Eheheh. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the delay. It's impossibly warm, these days, my brain looks like a big bowl of Jell-O.**

**So, before the Real Chaos (with capitals letters, yep) begins, here, everyone, have some angst, some cuddles, and some vicious manipulation. :3**

**Norns, it's warm.**

* * *

« So. What kind of a monster do I have to kill? »

Tony's voice was calm, almost enthusiastic, now, in a way that couldn't be brought by anything else than cuddles with his favorite lover.

JARVIS, loyal as always, despite his deep desire to roll his cameras repeatedly, had delayed every phonecalls received by the couple during the last two hours.

Someday, really, the AI would have to contact his master's doctor to try and understand _how_ the pair could manage two or three horizontal tangos a day without ever lacking energy -or imagination. If he had been the kind to hold a grudge, JARVIS would almost have suspected Loki to put something weird in Tony's glass when he couldn't notice.

Still, it wasn't as though the human hadn't been eager to initiate the activities himself, this time.

All it had taken was the god's expression, part shocked, part lost, after he had confirmed that he agreed to follow Asgard's traditions for him, as they were sending their invitations, and Tony had frowned in worry.

« ...Of course, if you don't want to, we can just... not do it, you know », he had stated as he suddenly realised that Loki had suggested to give up the idea of a wedding twice in the last minute. He had frozen, afraid that he had forced his lover to something; but Loki had immediatly shaken his head in denial, leaving him even more confused.

« Loke, what is it? We can wait, if you want. I don't want to force you to- »

The god interrupted him by placing a finger on his lips, smiling tenderly at him.

« I simply did not wish to hear you say no », he had said, calmly, softly. Tony had stared at him for a few seconds, shocked, before pulling him into a long, passionate kiss that, once more, had gone completely wild.

Then again, it wasn't that much of surprise.

Still, as it was, a few hours later, the human spoke with a voice that was definitly much lighter and calmer than before, when he started talking of the adventurous quest he had accepted to go through for the pretty eyes of his god (currently closed, as their owner gently caressed his hair) (and as his smile faded, slightly, at the question). Panting, with messy hair and a skin made moisty by the sweat, the human didn't immediatly noticed, going on with his satisfied expression and his distracted tone.

« I mean, I'm kinda sure that I could kill more or less any thing that lives on this planet, but PETA would really attack me if I did. I mean, unless it's an horrible insect or something alike. Maybe an aquatic monster, like, a giant squid? But your son might not take it well. So, maybe an insect. Could that work? »

« ...The beast chosen is expected to have a chance of fighting back, and a mind or strenght superior to yours », Loki stated after a small pause, his voice a little tensed. « If you may find an insect bigger than you, naturally, it should function. »

« An insect big-? » Tony repeated, before having a violent shiver, as though to get rid of a terrible, terrible vision. « Okay, no. None of that. Okay. Nothing alike your kids, that's just wrong, no giant insects, that's just freaky... I can't just kill an endangered something, I'll get in trouble. Can't you help? »

« I am certain, intimately, that your violent slaughter of a few thousands of Chitauris was a proof entirely acceptable of your quality as a warrior », Loki stated simply, tone calm.

« ...What? » Tony asked, surprised, rolling on his side to look at him. « But it was... months ago... And I don't have any bits to bring back to Thor. »

« I doubt really much that he would recognise a Midgardian creature as an acceptable capture, Anthony. They're... Far too tiny and petty », Loki said, without looking back. « But it would be practically impossible for you to kill something from another Realm without my help. Since I'm not allowed to give it to you, I simply think that you should use your acts of war. If the beast killed is not sufficient, Asgard's laws will chose for you, and I do not wish to see this happening. You fought an invasion that threatened all Yggdrasil. Why not use it at your own advantage? Asgard can't ask for more. »

« ...So what had _you_ kill for that chick you had to marry before? » Tony asked after a long pause, trying to see what the problem was this time.

« A sand dragon. According to her family's orders. »

« And your... ex-husband? What did Anbrod -Angora -Arbrod- what did he brought back to Thor? »

« Angrbrodr. He first brought a Draugr... A vampire », Loki corrected himself at Tony's expression. « But it was not enough of a glorious death. »

« ...So? Asgard's laws? What did he had to kill? » Tony insisted, starting to be afraid of what he thought to understand.

« The head of a Jötun warrior », Loki replied, taking a brief pause to swallow hard on his saliva before going on, just as calmly. « But as I said, none can ask of you to do such a thing, if you can offer them any better. The Chitauris will do. »

The silence that followed was of those so tensed that it could probably have powered Stark Tower for half a year. Loki kept his eyes on the ceiling, refusing to display any emotion about what he had just said.

Tony, on his side, just silently looked at him with his mouth gaping in shock.

The more time went by, the less the billionair liked Asgardian culture.

And Odin.

« Alright », he ended up saying, clearing his throat. « So. Chitauris it is. JARVIS, e-mail Phil for me, ask him what images he has of the invasion. How about we make breakfast, now? »

« No. You make me a breakfast », Loki countered, bringing a small smile to his lover's lips, who nodded gently before kissing him again, tenderly.

« Alright. Strawberry milkshake for you. Your favorite. Just a sec. »

The god nodded in answer, hugging the human for a few seconds longer before allowing him to leave the bed, curling up on the side, where the mattress was still warm from Tony's body.

* * *

Steve looked up from the sketch he had worked on since his awakening when the phone rang, interrupting him. The drawing represented, quite accurately, the sight from his window -the 'modern' version of Brooklyn, so different of the one that had seen him growing up and being beaten up at each street corner. His appartment was extremely small, but clean, discreetly located in an uneventful neighborhood. It was almost empty, but it wasn't as though he had a lot to store in. Or if he invited a lot of people.

He muted the radio completely, answering the wireless phone without looking at the name on the screen. He couldn't help it, he didn't like the habit, at all. He felt like it took away all the spontaneity of the phonecall.

« Steven Rogers, hello? » He asked directly, sitting on the edge of his window.

Afterall, his name was written very undiscreetly just above his doorbell. Ironically, and despite every fans -and enemies- that Captain America still had, very few managed to connect the dots between the superhero mysteriously gone missing in the 40's and the young and discreet, bachelor drawer who helped the cat of the neighbors to get out of the too high trees he climbed into almost everyday. But then again, there were very few at all to give any credit to the « new » Captain America -a clone, an impostor, people magazines stated repeatedly. Steve didn't care all that much. He had enough to figure out by himself already without worrying about his reputation.

« Cap -S-Steven? Philip Coulson, here », a slightly tensed voice stated on the other end of the phone. « How is it going? »

« Oh -hi, Phil », Steve answered with a lightly relaxed smile. « Did Fury at last allow you to leave the hospital wing? »

A super-soldier blood transfusion to help the wound to heal, a Stark Industries battery to support a weakened heart, and a bit of Asgardian magic offered along the reparation of New York; the Agent's survival had had the hand more than forced, but he had survived anyway to Loki's attack -and without any sequels. Fury, as glad as he was to have his agent back, had insisted to keep him in the SHIELD labs until complete remission.

Which was an euphemism to say that the surgeons had tried until the very last minute to get any more informations about Loki's Spear's functionment from the look of the injury, and, with even more attention, to make sure that it hadn't had a chance to control Philip. The Avengers had argued against the treatment of their friends until the very end, but in the end, Coulson himself had stated that he could use some rest to get rid of the paperwork that had piled up on his desk since his 'death', all while his doctors tried in vain to find some psychological tests that the agent wouldn't know by heart.

One didn't simply psychoanalysed Philip Coulson, after all.

« Oh, er, I -I returned to my usual position a few weeks ago, to be honest. I w-was just a -a little too busy to call. »

Well, safe when Captain America was involved.

Actually, he had simply never dared to phone the Soldier when he had left the infirmary, despite Steve's demand to be warned when he'd « feel better ». He had been too scaqred to bother the man for such an unimportant matter.

« I wished to know », he continued, clearing his throat a little nervously, « if you had received Stark and Loki's invitation? »

« Invitation? » Steve repeated in surprise, foreseeable. « What invitation? »

« Didn't Stark warn you that they were getting married? »

Coulson held back a grimace at the unmistakable sound of someone choking on his own saliva and coughing loudly to dry and get some air in his lungs. _Oh. _

«Th-they _what_? Loki a-and-? They...? »

« Oh, I suppose that they didn't want to shock you with the news », Phil implied cautiously, looking up at the sky to offer a silent prayer to the patron saint of the suicidal Agents.

It was a detail that had worried everyone in the Team. In Steve's 40's, Tony would never have had the chance of publicly announcing his relationship with the god of Chaos, of course. When he had decided to break the news to the Avengers, everyone had been shocked, of course -but everyone had naturally glanced at Steve, to see his reaction.

Steve, though, hadn't made a fuss about it. He had fought along the side of many different men in the army, and had quickly learned to judge them after much more important details than whoever shared their bed at night. Howard himself had never deprived himself of exploring both sides of the fence, and to make his adventures known to each and everyone. The Soldier himself wasn't sure that he understood how two men could be attracted by each other, but he didn't get either how Clint could appreciate the horrible music that he played whenever he was flying a quinjet.

But the « sancticity of marriage »? Everyone knew that Steve was a religious man. Coulson prayed his gods that he wouldn't let the detail stop him.

« Shock me wi-? I... No, no », Steve finally stammered, before he took a deep breath. « No, I'm just -I never imagined any of these two interested by... But, no, I... I didn't... Nope. No invitation », the soldier repeated, still sounding a little incredulous.

« I see », Phil replied, leaving out a breath he hadn't been conscious of holding back, and trying to keep the hope out of his voice. « I'm certain that it was just a mistake from them, but, just in case, if you wish, you might come along as my plus-one? The Colonel will send me anyway to keep an eye on Loki's guests. »

Phil's throat, in the silence that followed, felt drier than if he had spent a whole week sprinting around the Sahara desert.

« I -yeah, yeah, that'd be awesome », the soldier finally said, voice a little disbelieving, but not noticing anything weird in the demand. « When will they -marry? »

« On the 24th of July », Phil replied immediatly, heavily swallowing on his saliva before he went on. « I'll c-contact you again on the 20th then? Just to make sure that everything is alright? »

« Yeah, it's perfect, it's... Yeah. Thanks a lot for warning me, Phil, I -wouldn't want to miss that. »

Coulson nodded, smiling so widely that his cheeks muscles, unused to the exercice, were a little numb when he hung up his phone. He took a deep, deep breath, making a little danse steps before he walked out of the alley from which he had phoned. Passing by a dumpster, he threw away the envelop marked with Stark Industries' logo that he had taken in Steve's postal box, humming happily for himself.

**Aaaand Coulson the Cool did it again. **

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